Fruit and berry box



G. W. WESTON. IRUIT AND BERRY BOX.

I (No Model.)

Patentd m..15,18181.

PETERS, Plwwunm m mn Wzdingkon. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. WESTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT IA'ND BERRY'BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,561, dated November 1-5, 1881.

- Application filed July 15, 1881. N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. WESTON, of the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit and Berry Boxes and I do hereby declare that the following is' a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In one mode of applying a sheet-metal binding to the edges of such boxes for containing small fruit as are made of thin wood shavin gs or veneers, a narrow strip of tin or other metal is first c'rimped into a V form lengthwise. This doubled strip is then placed over the edge of the box and its sides closed down against the inner and outer edges of the box, so as to form a complete edge-binding.

In my former Letters Patent, No. 184,565, dated November 21, 1876, I described how several short strips of tin could be thus com bined to form a single binding-strip, and at the same time give a double thickness where they overlapped.

In binding these boxes it is important that the corners be made as strongas possible, and to this end I have attempted to overlap the short pieces, so that the overlapped portion should extend on each side of the corners, and thus give a double thickness of metal at the corners. To do this I took the short strips, after they had beencrimped to the V form above mentioned, and placed the end of one inside of the end of the other, so as to form an overlap and double thickness at the points where the corners of the box would come. I

then bent them at right angles across the doubled portion, so as to form the corners of the box. This answered for preparing three of the corners but in order to form the fourth or last corner the ends had to be first bent singly before attempting to overlap and insert one into the other. In attempting to do this 1 found that when I bent the ends at right angle the metal on the inside of the angle would buckle and close tightly against the opposite side, so that it was impossible to insert one inside of the other.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I is a perspective view of my improved berry and fruit form the last corner.

box, showing the manner of applying the rim.

, Fig. 2 is an under-side view, with the double corner of the rim, which is formed by pressing one strip over the other. Fig. 3 shows the portion of the upper strip which is bent around to Fig. at shows a corner formed by cutting the opening 0 from the outside instead of the inside of the strip.

'A is a box, which can be made of thin wood shavings, known as veneersfl or of paper or other similar material. The metal strips b,which I use to form a binding for the edges of the box, I crimp or double to a V form lengthwise, as shown at Figs. 1, 2, 3. Each crimp ed metal strip I make longer than the sides of the box to which it is to be applied. I then place the end of one strip inside of the end of the next or adjoining strip, so that the doubled partwill come on each side of the corner of the box, and then I bend it at right angles across the doubled part, thus forming the corner. I proceed in' this way until three corners are made. In order to overlap the last or fourth. corner I either cut a V-shaped piece outof its inside portion, as shown at 0, so that when the single strip is bent the edges of the V will meet and form a miter-joint, thus leaving the gutter open to receive the overlapping end of the adjoining strip inside it, or I simply make a straight transverse out across the outside portion of the gutter, so that the cut will open when thestrip is bent, and thus prevent the buckling of the inside part. In either case the gutter will be left open to receive the overlapping end of the adjoining strip inside of it. After the binding has been closed upon the edge of the box, a drop of solder will close and fasten the cut portion, thus giving a double thickness of metal at all four of the corners, which will give the box additional strength.

Having thus described my invention, what claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s A fruit-box having a gutter-shaped metal binding doubled at all four of its corners, as a new article of manufacture.

In witness whereot'I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

C. W. WESTON.

Attest:

JN0. H. MILLER,

. WM. F. CLARK. 

